The athletes who can end Team SA's medal drought at the World Athletics Championships

It’s been eight years since South Africa last won a medal at the World Athletics Championships.

After a spectacular showing at the 2017 event, the South Africans have returned home empty-handed from the last four editions of the world champs.

In 2017, South Africa won six medals, with Wayde van Niekerk (400m), Caster Semenya (800m) and Luvo Manyonga (long jump) all winning gold. Van Niekerk also claimed silver in the 200m, while Semenya (1,500m) and Ruswahl Samaai (long jump) brought home bronze.

Since then, Mzansi’s athletes haven’t stood on the podium, but there is renewed optimism ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which begin in Tokyo this weekend.

2024 Paris Olympics silver medallist Akani Simbine will lead the 49-strong South African team, which also features track athletes such as 400m world record-holder Van Niekerk, 400m Olympic finalist Zakithi Nene, and 800m world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso.

In the field events, another Paris silver medallist, Jo-Ane van Dyk, will vie for a medal in the women’s javelin throw alongside former African U20 champion Chris van Niekerk.

Independent Newspapers looks at South Africa’s top medal prospects ahead of the World Athletics Championships.

Akani Simbine (100m, 4x100m)

Simbine’s preparation differs from that of his Northern Hemisphere rivals, who peak later in the year. South Africa’s domestic season stretches from January to April, so Simbine has to maintain peak condition for longer.

However, he proved at last year’s Olympics that he can time his peak well, narrowly missing a medal in the 100m final while setting a new South African record of 9.82 in the most closely contested sprint race of all time. He will also be threat in the 4x100m, where the South Africans are among the favourites to medal.

Zakithi Nene (400m)

Nene is the fastest 400m runner in the world this year and South Africa’s best medal prospect in the event, especially after veteran Van Niekerk opted to compete only in the 200m.

Nene has consistently clocked sub-45-second times, with his standout performance being a personal best and world-leading 43.76 in Kenya this past May. He also had a solid Diamond League campaign, finishing second in Rome behind Olympic champion Quincy Hall.

Jo-Ane van Dyk (javelin throw)

The South African javelin star won silver at the Paris Olympics, finishing behind Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi (65.80m) with a throw of 63.93m. She’ll be looking for another powerful performance in Tokyo.

Van Dyk has been a consistent performer this year, with a season’s best of 62.77m in Oslo, where she placed third behind Kitaguchi and Adriana Vilagos. A place on the podium is definitely within reach.

Prudence Sekgodiso (800m)

South Africa’s new queen of the 800m is steadily building towards a major medal. She made the final of the 800m at the Paris Olympics and recently ran a personal best of 1:57.16 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, to win the Golden Spike meet. She is also the 2025 world indoor champion.

That PB bettered her previous mark of 1:57.26 set in Morocco last year, but it ranks as only the ninth-fastest in the world this season. Sekgodiso will need to find another gear to compete with the likes of Keely Hodgkinson and Audrey Werro.